Source: This article references data and insights from KOBACO (Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation), Korea's official broadcast advertising authority.
In South Korea's drama ecosystem, romance doesn't always announce itself with flowers and slow-motion hugs. Sometimes it shows up as a number—who gets talked about, shared, and argued over the most.
For the last week of January (Jan. 26 to Feb. 1), the "cast mention volume" ranking was led by Park Shin-hye(박신혜) with 1,318 mentions, followed by Ji Sung(지성) with 807, Ahn Bo-hyun(안보현) with 769, Lee Joo-bin(이주빈) with 752, and Kim Hye-yoon(김혜윤) with 729. Three of the Top 5 were tied to tvN, a reminder that the network's romances and relationship-driven storytelling remain unusually loud on the internet—sometimes louder than the plot itself.
Park Shin-hye(박신혜), No. 1 — A Secret Named "Yebbi(예삐)"
Park's tvN weekend drama "Undercover Miss Hong(언더커버 미쓰홍)" surged with a storyline built like a cliffhanger in a group chat: her character Hong Geum-bo(홍금보) closing in on the whistleblower known as "Yebbi(예삐)". In coverage of Episode 7, the drama's tension sharpened around the pursuit of the slush-fund ledger—and the reveal that points to Kim Do-hyun(김도현) as "Yebbi."
It's the kind of twist that doesn't just end an episode; it restarts the conversation.
Ji Sung(지성), No. 2 — A Judge Who Won't Stay in One Moral Lane
If Park Shin-hye's week was powered by a reveal, Ji Sung's was powered by a turn. In MBC's "Judge Lee Han-young(판사 이한영)", reports on Episode 12 emphasized a jolt: after bringing down major villains, the character Lee Han-young(이한영) appears to step back toward the "enemy's" orbit—an ending beat strong enough to fuel headlines about its shock value.
The same coverage also highlighted viewing figures: a peak at 15.9% and news that the next episode received an extended (10-minute) slot.
Not a romance on paper, but the emotional mechanics are familiar: devotion, betrayal, and the audience pleading, "Don't do this."
Ahn Bo-hyun(안보현) & Lee Joo-bin(이주빈), Nos. 3 and 4 — The Couple the Internet Watches Like a Sport
The most "romance-column" fact in the ranking is also the simplest: tvN's "Spring Fever(스프링 피버)" placed two leads in the Top 5—Ahn Bo-hyun at No. 3 and Lee Joo-bin at No. 4. That's not a plot summary; it's a signal about how viewers are consuming the show: through the lens of pairing, chemistry, and relationship stakes.
tvN's official synopsis frames the romance clearly: a teacher Yoon Bom(윤봄) retreats to a small town after her life "turns into black-and-white film," only to meet Sun Jae-gyu(선재규)—the uncle of one of her students—whose feelings ignite fast.
And the show's digital footprint has become part of the story: reports in early February noted cumulative edited-clip views surpassing 410 million, with the drama nearing its final stretch.
In other words: "Spring Fever" isn't just airing—it's circulating.
Kim Hye-yoon(김혜윤), No. 5 — A Kiss Ending, a Memory Question
In SBS's "From Today, I'm Human(오늘부터 인간입니다만)", the romance escalated in Episode 8 with a scene that's practically designed for replay: Lomon(로몬) as Kang Si-yeol(강시열) kisses Kim Hye-yoon(김혜윤) as Eun-ho(은호) after she talks about erasing memories. SBS itself titled the clip as a "kiss ending," underscoring how central the moment is to the show's week-to-week buzz.
Press coverage similarly framed it as the couple finally tipping into a more explicit "dating" mode.
